Rs. 80 lakh budget: Need an SUV for a family of 4

We've been searching for a good diesel SUV to takeover the duties of the Scorpio both as a daily driver for my father and a great family car.

BHPian Cliff9091 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey Bhpians,

As a family of four, we have been using a Mahindra Scorpio 2.2 Mhawk Vlx for the past 13 years as our primary family car (now used by me as a daily), but over the past 1-2 years the car has been restricted to city use only due to its age and safety reasons. Our second car is a 5 year old Audi A4 2.0 TDI Premium Plus which has been doing the highway duty for 1-2 years, and the car has been great on the open road, really comfortable, responsive and moreover a really safe place to be in. But on trips > 500 kms, (which we do at least thrice a year) my mum and 12 year old sister do feel the need of extra in legroom and headroom in the rear.

We've been searching for a good diesel SUV to takeover the duties of the Scorpio both as a daily driver for my father and a great family car.

Daily running: 50-60kms

Highway running: 3 x 500km>, monthly Bangalore-Chennai runs only for my father and me and quarterly Bangalore-Hyderabad runs for my father and me.

Budget : Rs.80 lakhs on road Bangalore

Options considered:

Volvo XC60

• Meets all of our criteria , and the family found the interior fit and finish the best of the 4 cars considered.

Mercedes-Benz GLC 220d

• Have to say the Mercedes is the comfiest and most reliable of the lot, but its a model that is due for update soon, and the interior does look dated in comparison to modern Mercedes'
  interiors.

BMW X3

• I really liked the X3, test drove it at Navnit Motors, but the family found the car a tad uncomfortable in comparison to the Volvo and GLC diesel.

Land Rover Discovery Sport

• This car was the last car we it was out of our budget, the interiors I felt was dull and also since these cars will be kept in the family for well over 10 years and a lot of miles, the Disco didn't meet the reliability criteria.

While checking out the GLC, we also happened to test drive the GLE 300d LWB, and it was such a fantastic car in terms of the engine and performance, interior fit and finish and most importantly the rear seat with the extra leg room was a real treat for my sister and my mum. But the car is priced at Rs. 1 cr on road Bangalore, which is way over our budget.

My questions to the experts:

Volvo XC60 or the Mercedes GLC 220d.

or

Wait for another 6-8 months and buy the GLE 300D next year.

Your expert opinions would be really helpful.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:

If your reference is A4, then the incremental benefit comes at a substantial cost. I would consider XC60 and GLC to be more or less of same category vehicle as A4 when it comes to comfort and driving dynamics. Being newer, they will certainly offer better wow factor. Also, sedans tend to offer the comfort of SUVs from a segment higher.

If you are spending this kind of money and looking to upgrade from A4, you might as well go the full distance and buy the next segment. Rear seat comfort doesn't come cheap. Do checkout Camry and Lexus ES as well just to get a sense of comparison.

Here's what BHPian Porcupine had to say on the matter:

My pick of the lot would be the GLC. Mercedes reliability, handsome looks and arguably the most comfortable of the lot. With the update coming you could probably get some discounts on the outgoing model (if Mercedes new policy is still allowing for negotiation). Mercedes also has a vastly superior service network and possibly availability of parts than Volvo.

Here's what BHPian DicKy had to say on the matter:

Not going to be much of a help in suggesting, but 6 months is nothing if you are are planning 10+ years of ownership. Please wait and go for the GLE300D.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:

I won’t suggest the XC60 or GLC for anyone who uses an A4 as a daily driver. As rightly mentioned above, it is an incremental upgrade at best for double the cost. If you are smitten by Mercedes and are open to spending, go all the way and get the GLE. Or the BMW X5, arguably a more reliable and powerful option.

But considering you are essentially replacing the Scorpio, may I suggest you consider the Kia Carnival. It is a solid and reliable car and is a very comfortable highway mile muncher. Excellent family car.

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